Charleston, South Carolina — Jenny Costa Honeycutt, a Charleston County councilmember, declared Monday on social media that she will run for Congress in South Carolina’s 1st District in 2026.
“Politics is about public service,” Honeycutt stated in a November 17 launch video. “It’s about representing the people and protecting the place that I love, and I want to go to Washington to do just that.”
She is the latest Republican to join a crowded field of candidates vying to succeed Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who has announced that she will not seek reelection to her position in favor of running for governor.
Other candidates for the GOP nomination include state Rep. Mark Smith, retired Air Force pilot Alex Pelbath, former physician Sam McCown, Dorchester County Councilman Jay Byars, Beaufort County Councilman Logan Cunningham, and veteran Justin Myers.
Honeycutt presented herself as “unapologetically conservative,” promising to support President Donald Trump’s “America first” agenda.
“The 1st District is very complex: It has a lot of coastal interests, it has a lot of business interests,” that’s what she said. “There are issues on the local level that need the national attention from DC that cannot be ignored if we want our businesses to thrive and our families to thrive in this area.”
Honeycutt was first elected to Charleston County Council in November 2018, and her current term will expire at the end of 2026. Her district includes much of James Island and the shoreline from Folly Beach to Seabrook Island.
She told News 2 shortly after declaring her campaign that, if elected, she will work to get results for Lowcountry residents.
“I am tired of the clickbait politics,” Honeycutt stated. “We need to get in and do work, and that’s what I’m gonna do when I go to Washington.”
